Students

Meet NorthTec's students

The stand-out here is the tutor. He creates a great learning environment, manages the group well, and makes it easy to ask questions. Working out the pricing and quotes and quantities is a challenge for me but the tutor explains things well and is g…

Configuring networking design and programming design, then checking that they work, are the best parts of this course for me. Computers, programming and networks have always interested me and they’re part of a field that is hard to learn outside a c…

I’d always been interested in hairdressing and knew that this NorthTec course has a great reputation. There is so much more to hairdressing than I thought. It’s really interesting and fun, and gives me an opportunity to build a career.

My brother studied cheffing here and he’s gone on to do really well. This training has a good reputation and it’s local. The best part of the course is the good vibe of the people and the environment. You’re made to feel welcome and the tutors treat…

Anyone doing this course for work may not be expecting the impact it can have on your life. I’ve found it opens up a greater perspective and takes you on a journey of self-growth and discovery. I love it.

I love how relaxed and flexible the course is. It is hands-on and self-paced and we get to take on our own projects here. The tutors are very knowledgeable and we’re swapping seed and plant material now amongst the students.

The mechanical work is great and we even get to work on our own cars so I’ve just replaced the fuel system in mine. I want to do an apprenticeship in Whangarei and completing this course will give me a much better chance of doing that.

I’m loving learning new things and am doing things I didn’t think I could do – like repairing appliances, wiring up lights, and learning to be safety minded. I didn’t try much at school but I’m really achieving now because I have a purpose.

I’m now doing something I enjoy all day. At school I just sat doing not much except for when we did engineering. This is a real opportunity, we don’t have to know everything and the tutor is a real stand out.

Already in our practicum we’ve been out monitoring lizards and geckos and helped with pest control, and we’ve even seen kiwi and takehe on a field trip. It’s pretty amazing getting to see the end goal while we’re still working towards it.

I love the people here. Anyone who is into hospitality is a certain sort of weird that I really enjoy. It’s part of who we are. I was going to get into hairdressing but I realised I love cooking more. I also realised that within hospitality I prefer…

I’m really surprised at my own capabilities and expanded vision now. I believe completing this degree will not only help further my career, but also enable me to apply what I’m learning in everyday life like conflict resolution, planning and better …

All the students here are keen to learn and we’re all looking to step up and improve, and the tutors are wonderful. They understand where we’re coming from and relate the info we’re learning to us and our lives.

I looked at the option of studying nursing in Invercargill but the advantage here is that it is local and close to friends and family. I really like the hands-on work experience where we are assigned to different wards so we learn about different il…

I love the intensity of this course. I also like how one tutor emphasizes how to be professional in this field and the other one focuses on how to develop yourself in architecture and in your life. It’s helped me create my own aspirations for being …

It’s great to be learning with people who actually want to be here each day and I love that I can work with my hands as I learn. I’m really drawn to welding. There’s so much to learn about the different types of welding and the tutor is the best.

I love what I’m learning. Excel and the accounting side is more of challenge and we’ve just started doing Xero. I like numbers but there is a lot to it and I’m taking my time so I understand it as I go. The industry is wanting people with Xero exper…

The diversity of people here brings life and pride - whether they’re covered in te moko or from overseas. We’re all exploring who we can become and the tutors are skilled at getting the most out of each of us.

School wasn’t supportive for me so I’m amazed at how massive the impact of the tutor here has been on me being able to study. He has reassured me that anything is possible if we put in the time and dedication.

This is giving me the skills and requirements to re-enter the work force and I’m happy to get a foot in the door. It’s important to make the most of every opportunity and to have the right people around you to grow and develop.

“One of the best things has been learning how to trap, gut and skin possums because I can now sell the furs and can make money and be financially independent. I’ll also be able to use those skills on my own land.”

The tutors really get us immersed in the outdoors. I’m amazed at how many field trips we have – to places like the Poor Knights and Tiritiri Matangi. There are also a ton of opportunities to get involved in the industry as our tutors have a lot of c…

With all the new building and roading development in our region, now seemed a good time to step into civil engineering. Previously sport was my main driver and I did fill-in jobs to support it. I was helping run the Aquatic Centre before enrolling f…

I just love this whole place. I love the people. I love the spirit. It’s very different from anything I’m used to. I love that we do theory and practical together. It’s great to have access to workshops with such a full range of quality modern machi…

The best part of the course is doing the physical training at the gym and that includes learning to study measurements and performance. It’s a discipline for me to get here in the mornings but once you set your mind, then you’re sweet. I love being …

I have learnt so much from coming here that it doesn’t matter so much whether I become an artist or not. I’d like to become an artist but I realise it feels more about what I’ve learnt on the way on every level. I feel blessed to be here and to be h…

I’m finding out that I love learning. It’s exciting to me. I need help so I’m the one that asks 100 questions. I was hesitant to put my hand up at first but the teachers encouraged me to just go for it.

I love the new things I’m learning and like how the course is laid out. It’s a mix of class study, online study, and practical time in the hospital, and the tutors work around you – not the other way round.

I’m surprised at how well I’m doing and how much I’m getting on with it. I’m also surprised at the range of what we learn. It’s not just driving but includes safety, making your load secure, and how to prevent driver fatigue.

There are not many female carvers in New Zealand because it is only in recent years that mainstream institutions have opened their doors to allow women to study the art of carving. I think it’s culturally important to both honour the traditional val…

Working with Archi-CAD is the thing I love most about the course but it is also the most challenging thing for me. I thought architecture would all about drawing but it’s mostly computerised and CAD is a challenge to learn.

I am dyslexic so I had convinced myself I’d never be able to study or get into uni, but there’s so much support here and with our small classes we get one-on-one time with the tutors. They put their personal support into our success.

It’s great seeing how much I’ve progressed since starting the course. I know the difference between good and bad customer service, and what to look for to find a good company to work for that gives clients a great experience.

One of the key reasons for coming here is the tutors. They are real, they’re knowledgeable and experienced, and they treat us like peers. They really encourage us to push beyond our own limits and to expand enough to take in new learning and experie…

The tutors drive you to do better and they help us with how to do things at the gym so we form good habits. Every time I try something new I’m surprised at myself. The first time I did CrossFit I thought I would die – but I’m still here, improving a…

The stand-out of the course for me is meeting all the great students and tutors here. I’m the youngest in our class so I’m learning so much from other people’s backgrounds and cultures, and by being on the campus is general.

The course is all online and the best part of it for me is meeting all the other students with an interest in writing. We critique each other’s work and socialise online, and occasionally meet up physically at a hui, but most of our connection is on…

I’m discovering I have a surprising interest in biological control and Integrated Pest Management. I’m fascinated with the idea of breeding parasitic wasps and ladybirds and it’s great knowing there are companies here doing that now.

I love the diversity of our course content. I am discovering a love for marketing which is a total surprise to me. My dream is to be successful – which to me means financially successful as well as waking up to do something I enjoy every day.

I’m loving being around people who love what I love, and it opens your eyes to be amongst people with different ideas and attitudes. The tutor is excellent and finds a way that works for how I like to learn.

My classmates are all adult students and we’re here because we want to be, so it’s a great learning environment, and the tutor has been in the industry so can give us feedback on both commercial and domestic situations.

The practical work in the workshop is the best part of the course for me. I like working with my hands but I’m amazed at how much I don’t know about the building industry. I have developed a different appreciation and respect for all the layers of k…

The Applied Writing course is online, all of the tutors are writers and we have online forums with the other students. At first I felt different from them but then I realised I just have my own style and I’m enjoying the varied perspectives.

I’m keen to help the next generation spend more time outside and to serve as a role model for them in some way. We have this amazing natural resource in the north and I want to encourage youth to enjoy getting out amongst it.

I’m being encouraged here to explore past my own boundaries and to dare to be different in order to fulfil my potential. It’s exciting keeping a visual diary and I’m getting great grades. I’m starting to value myself.

I’d love to work in the Ministry of Health of Education where I could impact and implement policies that affect kids. Children in poverty don't have much control of what is happening around them and someone needs to speak up on their behalf because …

This course has broadened my perception of art. I don’t just look at it visually now but I look at what the artist is communicating. Our whānau of students here watch each other grow and help one another.

I love being amongst students who are keen to learn and tutors who are dedicated and enthusiastic about what they are teaching. Our classmates come with backgrounds ranging from beauty therapy, to water treatment to the arts.

This is giving me experience that will give me the confidence to step into further hospitality study at level 3. I may have a way to go yet, but my dream is to work in a kitchen in Dubai or on a superyacht.

Another aspect I enjoy is that we learn how to train others, so we work with school students who are keen to learn. I’m surprised at how much the tutor goes out of her way to expose us to employers and the industry.

With the help of the tutors here I now understand that people all learn differently and that I can learn. I have the right help here. I dreaded school but I really like coming to the course and I’ll be able to into vet nursing when I pass Foundation…

I love this type of learning where there is plenty of opportunity for questions, time-out to discuss what presents, and a family feel within our class. We are developing close and real friendships and I am a lot more open.

The flexibility of this course is really refreshing. We cover all the core subjects like composting, soils, weather, water management, propagation, and harvesting, but the tutor is open to side-line opportunities that present.

I’d always been interested in mechanical things and used to love watching my Dad fix the car, but working at Marsden Point made me realise that it was something I really wanted to take further. I looked through lots of training options and settled o…

I previously loved to bake cakes but as my horizons have broadened, my passion has moved from bakery to butchery. I’m a carnivore, I can cook a mean steak, and I love learning about the cuts to the extent that I’m wondering about doing a butchery ap…

I love the hands-on approach. It’s enabled me to really ‘get it’ in a way that I couldn’t do if it was just on paper. It’s still a challenge for me to picture the projects from the plans and drawings, but I’m actually doing it and it’s really satisf…

Already this course is inspiring my vision of what I can create. The colour, form, and complexity that is coming out is intense and surprising. I’m really on a journey and I’m opening up to painting, and sculpture, and clay.

“This course will change my life. I want to live on the land, get paid for what I love doing, and go farming with my best friend. We are each good at different things. But first I’ll get a job and get some experience.”

I’m surprised how motivated I am to get up and go to work now. We do practical painting work out in the community as part of this course and I love seeing other people’s houses and meeting other trades-people.

The best aspect is the other students. The support network you create together and how students encourage and value each other is what makes studying in smaller classes a wonderful experience. The students and tutors are always approachable and will…